David DiSalvo is the author of "Brain Changer: How Harnessing Your Brain’s Power to Adapt Can Change Your Life" and the best-selling "What Makes Your Brain Happy and Why You Should Do the Opposite", which has been published in 10 languages. His work has appeared in Scientific American Mind, Forbes, Time, Psychology Today, The Wall Street Journal, Slate, Salon, Esquire, Mental Floss and other publications, and he’s the writer behind the widely read science and technology blogs “Neuropsyched” at Forbes and “Neuronarrative” at Psychology Today. He can be found on Twitter @neuronarrative and at his website, daviddisalvo.org. Contact him at: disalvowrites [at] gmail.com.

Five Common Myths About Depression

With the tragic loss of Robin Williams to apparent suicide, a worldwide discussion about the effects of depression has begun. Untreated depression is the leading cause of suicide in the US, and suicide claims 34,000 lives in this country every year. Far too often those who would benefit from treatment don’t get it due to lack of knowledge and misconceptions about the illness. Below are five of the most common myths about depression, with links to resources for more information.

1. Depression is synonymous with sadness.

Many of Robin Williams’ acquaintances interviewed since his death have noted that they never saw him unhappy, yet he suffered from severe depression. According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), many of those suffering from depression do feel overwhelming sadness, but many don’t feel any specific emotion at all. A better description would be a feeling of emptiness and apathy. And since anxiety often accompanies depression, many feel a constant state of tension that persists for no apparent reason.

2. Depression is a sign of mental weakness.

Part of the stigma surrounding depression is that others will see it as a sign of weakness. Yet we don’t accuse someone suffering from heart disease or MS of being weak; we rightly acknowledge those as illnesses that affect a wide range of people. Depression is also an illness—more specifically, it’s a complex medical disorder that has biological, psychological and social dimensions. Plenty of otherwise “strong” people suffer from severe depression, and the consequences of not treating it are just as real and tragic as those of other debilitating diseases. An illness that affects the chemistry of the brain and nervous system is no less an illness than one that affects any other part of the body.

3. Depression is always situational.

While depression often does have a situational trigger like the loss of a loved one or divorce, the underlying condition does not need any particular event to surface. Depression is typically diagnosed when someone suffers from prolonged episodes (at least two weeks) of hopelessness, emptiness and lethargy that have no apparent cause. These periods can manifest inexplicably, even when life events seem generally positive. (This is another reason why depression and sadness are not synonymous.)

4. Depression symptoms are all in your head.

While it’s true that many depression symptoms are of the nature we normally associate with the “head” (dark emotion, tension, etc.), the condition frequently manifests all over the body. Common depression symptoms include indigestion, difficulty breathing, tightness in the chest, and general fatigue. Some patients also complain of persistent muscle aches.

5. If you are diagnosed with depression, you’ll be on antidepressants the rest of your life.

The ubiquity of antidepressant commercials and media coverage has had a backlash effect. Many people are fearful of being put on an antidepressant, even if they may benefit from one, because they think once you’re “hooked” you’ll never be able to stop. The reality is that not everyone benefits from antidepressants – by some estimates nearly 40% of those prescribed one will experience no benefits. Some people respond better to forms of psychotherapy, such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), or a combination of medication and therapy. Even someone who gets good results from an antidepressant can, with medical supervision, eventually taper off the med in many cases.

The bottom line: depression is a treatable illness. When left untreated, its effects can be devastating.

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People who suffer from depression are often geniuses with great talents. Hemingway is one example among many. Many successful business owners and corporate tycoons and professionals suffer from depression. The definition of depression is anger turned inward. What does that mean?

It means that there are lifelong situations where one exhausts his energies in order to accomplish something bigger than oneself. It means that there is a chemical imbalance one is trying to self-medicate to eradicate and find peace of mind. Injustice occurs everyday in private homes, in public workplace, within families. When enough of these personal injustices occur and the receiver of the these injustices is unable to have his hurt or anger acknowledged, he has no choice but to accept it and he turns it inward simply because it has no where else to go that it will be validated. It is no surprise that there are gifted, bright and talented individuals who empty their soul tanks for everyone else then find themselves unable to refill it for themselves. It can be like that Robin Williams was tired. He could no longer fight the daily battle. Perhaps he was worn out. His manic comedy that awed us for so many years may have accelerated his death. Physical and mental exhaustion is a big part of depression. If you have experienced it, then you know how much effort it takes to answer a phone or take a shower when you are in the grips of depression, and, no, you cannot talk yourself out of it. Many will question how someone as rich and famous as Williams be depressed. Sometimes you feel that you just do not want to do this anymore. If you have never felt the pain of a true depression, you will never understand it. It is a personal torture not made by oneself.

Domino, EXACTLY. Do we want to live in a world where the greatest artists are normalized by big pharma into cubicle drones? Where Van Gough’s ear is more important than his work? Where Hemingway is a hack at Slate or writing copy for McDonalds ads?

I don’t.

Williams had a gifted human brain that obviously highly manic. You cant have one aspect without the other the benefit without the cost.

Hi David, this is a really beautiful article. Your description of depression is the most truthful I have ever read. You sum it up exactly. Thank you for this thoughtful blog, which does great justice to the many who suffer and who fight to be their best.

Depression is a real illness and anyone can get it under the ”wrong” circumstances if there are any. For the record, I struggled with this pesky disorder for more than twelve years, but thanks to God, my mother, hot springs baths and a caring and knowledgeable doctor, I bounced back. I wrote a book on my experience.

great article. Life is full of twists and turns and depression can happen with anyone. Only understanding of self, positive mindset and bit of medicines (in consultation with doc for short duration) can help one come out of it.

Understanding of self behavours , attitude towards situation is important . Once you can control your mind through meditation , yoga and excercise , chances of recurrence (which is quite often in such cases) becomes rare.

remember depending upon the severity of your condition , never think that only positive mindset with sail you through depression (though it is very important), anti-depressants have a huge role to play and parallelly one should do meditation , yoga and excercise, thereby slowing reducing reliance on drugs.

Don’t take yourself too seriously and understand inner strength can help overcome any situation.

I have gone through this twice , so i know what it is , how one can get throught this.

At the time of his death , following 2 expensive divorces, Robin Williams was living in a house he inherited from his mom. “I used to joke they were going to call it all the money but they changed it to alimony” Robin Williams

People fail to realize depression is a serious illness. And it is soon beyond control that it turns into suicidal tendencies. No. its not true that one has to take the medicines forever. but people who suffer from this need their loved ones to be supportive, people around them to be understanding. Your article covers the points beautifully. I tried to cover few more myths and facts: here they are http://ehealthmantra.com/facts-about-depression-and-suicide/